The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD) announced Monday it would honor Mexican actress
and singer Lucia Mendez for her work as a gay advocate.

The multi-talented Mendez will receive
a GLAAD Media Award for her work to raise visibility of LGBT youth
suicide in Spanish-language media.

“Allies like Lucia help raise the
visibility of issues that impact our lives and they help grow support
for our community,” GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said in a
statement. “As more and more people get to know gay and
transgender people, they are coming to understand and respect our
community.”

Last year, Mendez took part in the
multi-city tour Reina de Reinas, an outreach program designed to help
educate people on the discrimination gay youth face and its
consequences.

“Gay adolescents are killing
themselves because their parents can't understand that they're gay,”
Mendez told chat show host Cristina. “They're afraid to speak with
their parents, they can't say, 'Look, Dad I like boys' or 'I like
girls' … I can't imagine how parents can reject their kids. These
kids are hanging themselves, punishing themselves for being gay.”

“Often, these kids see no solution
but suicide because of anti-gay bullying and name-calling they face
in schools and playgrounds,” Barrios said. “We count on media
and high-profile allies like Lucia Mendez to help us educate the
public about the power of anti-gay slurs and the need for support of
LGBT people from family and friends.”

The group said it would honor Mendez at
a November 12 event in Mexico City, marking its first honor outside
the United States.